Hey y'all! I'm back! Well, I'm back for awhile anyway. ~smile~ Here's the big news. My oncologist has now declared that I am in "rare, total remission"...and he smiled! I'd heard from the surgeon that the cancer wasn't in my lymph nodes or margins, but there was just something about hearing it from the oncologist that made it all the more real. I wasn't surprised the cancer is gone. I've known from the start that God is fighting my cancer battle.

Still, the battle isn't over. I continue to recover from surgery. One of my incisions has been slow to heal, I still have pain, and I am trying to regain range of motion on my left (cancer and lymph node) side. The right side's doing great. Treatments will continue after Thanksgiving to make sure it's all gone, and it doesn't come back. There will be IV Herceptin treatments and a pill to take. I hope that I do not have side effects from those treatments.

Radiation? Well, the oncologist is no longer absolutely sure I will need it. He's referring me to the radiation oncologist for his determination. Please pray for wisdom for the doctor and for my husband and I. We need to be completely at peace with the decision we make. We're believing God.

Well, enough about cancer. I hope you're making progress as you move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas time. I've not really done anything to prepare except to buy turkey roasting bags and marshmallows. ~smile~ This weekend I'll finalize the menu and make the grocery list. This year everyone will have to help with preparations and cooking. Fortunately, I've been teaching my children the family recipes over the last few years. It should be a really easy Thanksgiving for me.

Well, enough for now—on to my blessings and a bit of our thrifty life.

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~~~~~A Verse for You“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”—Lamentations 3:21-23~~~~~

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Here's my thrifty week!

My daughter is reusing our Teaching Textbooks math curricula for Geometry. This is child #3 using it, so that's money well spent.

My other daughter is attending the local community college. This is thrifty because her Pell grant goes a lot further than it would at a state university or a private college.

My son is reusing our Teaching Textbooks Algebra II text.

We were introduced to Khan Academy. They have lots of courses that can be taken for free online. My Amy is taking U.S. History and Health and Medicine. She finds the explanations quite interesting.

We bought cheese, bread, lunch meat, and microwave burritos for those times when the kids need to fend for themselves. My appetite comes and goes, and I'm not cooking much yet.

We have received meals from kind friends through the Meal Train many times since my surgery last month. My favorite dessert so far was Deb's tapioca pudding! My favorite main dish was Donna's chicken pot pie!

Friends gave us money for lunch and for dinner this week. Thanks Niki and Deanne!

We received a check to help out with expenses from Donna and her family. Thank you!

A dear reader sent me a gift check to help with Christmas expenses. Thank you Karen!

My dear friend, who took me to church and helped me become a Christian way back when we were in high school, sent me a gift card for Olive Garden. Thank you Kim! Read about how it all came about when I was Frightened of God.

Another friend sent me a box of tea, Christmas books, and scotch tape and a little fun money, too. Just what I need for December! Thank you Karla!

I've been blessed by so many people through this struggle.Y'all have encouraged me so much in so many ways.Thank you very much!
Love to you all!
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That's my thrifty week.

What are you doing in your home this week?

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ღLauraღ

...doing what I can with what I've got

where I am on a short shoestring budget!

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Have you started listening to Christmas music yet?

Last year, I reviewed ADORE by Chris Tomlin.It's become a favorite. I worship with it year round.Bonus! It's currently available on YouTube uploaded by Chris Tomlin. It's on my playlist.It's in my car. It's on my computer. It's everywhere I listen to music!Here you go! Take a listen!I think you'll find it worth buying!

53 comments:

PRAISE THE LORD ALMIGHTY!!!!I had no doubt that your body would be healed completely - God was handling it all.I hope the remainder of your ills continue to heal quickly and that you have no complications from medications. Praying that God will place the appropriate knowledge with the doctors.

God bless and may you and yours have a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for!

Laura, I am SHOUTING and thanking God for this news.. God is good. I know you still have a hard road to go through. Praying , praying , praying.. Praying you will not have to take the radiation too.. hugs, hugs..Thanksgiving is right upon us.. I am trying to get some planning in action... Bought turkey/ need to sit down and concentrate on side dishes, and be sure I have all ingredients that I will need.. Cleaned the house from top to bottom.. and just maintaining it now..[Wonder why ...we clean and clean.. since we know all to well, it will be like a bomb went off, when all the company AKA kids leave. ha] But that is HOLIDAY FUN..right?I am so excited, I can barely write this ..Praying for continued healing.

OH Judy, I'm excited just reading about your excitement! I wish I could clean clean clean! My house really needs it after all these months of neglect. Oh well. My hubby and I went shopping for a few things today that we needed. We picked up the biggest turkey we've ever bought. We want leftovers, and our sons are big guys well over six foot! We also picked up our sweet potatoes. I'll bake them Tuesday or Wednesday morning and then mash them for sweet potato casserole. I think the whole family would scream mutiny if I forgot that casserole! While we were at the store, we picked up a few things that I just know we will need. I'm at the same point you are, I need to finalize the menu (nearly always the same), get out my recipes, and make a final shopping list. Then I'll make my cooking schedule. This year the kids and hubby will do most of the cooking.God bless you for your faithfulness to me in this season of my life. Love to you from Missouri!Laura

Happy Thanksgiving Laura. How good to hear that it "will be an easy Thanksgiving" for you since your children have helped you over the years. Sounds like you taught them well. So glad to hear the news about your remission. I remember when one of my married daughter's borrowed her in-law's B & B to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for our family which includes grandchildren, etc. (because the in-laws had traveled out-of-state that year.) Eating in that old house surrounded by antiques was charming. We enjoyed the spacious dinning room and large windows. It was the first time in years and years that I had "sat-down" during a holiday. I wish you a relaxing celebration of God's many blessings. Peace, Karen A.

I'm listening to a soft instrumental Christmas station on Pandora right now. It helps me get in the holiday spirit. Thank you for missing me and for praying. I am going to try to post once or twice a week.

Thank you, Linda. I'm going to try to keep it up. It adds some normalcy to my situation. I'm still healing from my surgery. I had some trouble with one of the incisions. My husband says the new treatment is making it look better. I am also trying to regain mobility with my left arm. I need to be able to move it freely from the shoulder.

Be blessed and healed in Jesus' name! I am so very thankful that you are doing well after your surgery. Gentle hugs. I wish we were near each other to support each other, but long-distance friendships are precious, too.

Sweet Friend,Sooo very happy to hear this blessed news.I continue to pray and offer my Eucharist for you.I feel close to you during this time. : )So nice to see to you here posting again!!!And as far as being comfortable with my babies leaving the nest...It is hard.Very hard.But...as I saw her becoming so much more independent and confident and responsible...My heart healed. And to see her implement the things I did and taught her made me so happy. Our children as adults are wonderful friends. : )

It's hard to see them becoming so independent so suddenly. I find myself wondering if it would have happened anyway or whether my cancer pushed them to do it quicker. Either way, I miss feeling needed. I guess that ache will heal in time. I'm so glad they'll all be home for Thanksgiving and for our tree decorating the Sunday evening after.Be blessed and enjoy your week,Laura

I am so glad your back, I missed your sunny,positive posts. It is wonderful to read about how your friends and readers have been there for you. I have prayed for you and your family and will continue to. Wishing you the love and warmth of home and family miss laura. May God bless you and your family.

Thank You, Father God!! I am in a different battle: one of having no choice but to leave (not my husband or children!) my family for the sake of Christ. At His direction. I have been falsely accused and maligned and your words of God fighting for you is beyond comforting as I rejoice with you over Him healing you!!! God is good...all the time!!!!!!!!!!!

And our God is so awesome and His healing power has healed you! I am overjoyed my friend! Praying for your decision and wisdom for the doctor over the radiation. A gentle hug for you!

I am so looking forward to seeing 4 of our grandchildren this week but my heart is hurting as we near our oldest daughter's family flying to Germany on Wednesday. They are finishing up their training now and then heading for their mission field where they have been called. Somehow it has been easier knowing they were still here in the USA but far away from us. I am so thankful for a mission board who prepares their missionaries so well and even the children have been taught so many things about living in a foreign country. Their apartment there was even cleaned top to bottom this week and a car picked up for them.

We continue to covet prayer that my husband's disability is approved. We do have a check coming at the end of this month but are trusting God for each month after that. SS disability has said they will either approve or send my husband on for more testing by the end of this month. He is unable to return to work but we also face the fact that his year is almost up and he will be terminated on December 27 and have no job to go back to if he were to suddenly get better.

We have been bringing home the grocery deals for several weeks now and there have been some really good ones. Our pantry is well stocked and for very little money. I was blessed to win a giveaway for an ice cream cake and it will be for our 8 year old grandson's birthday while he is here for Thanksgiving. He asks every year to have his birthday here so even though it will be a bit late I am glad we can do that. We got a deal on fresh green beans last week so we canned 31 jars just because my husband loves them. We had such a nice day working together on that.

​Dear Lana, Thank you for your prayers. You have been so faithful through this ordeal. ​ I hope that you can focus on the happy this week. Enjoy those grandbabies. Praise God that we live in a time when even missionaries have ways to keep incontact with those at home. It sounds like the mission board is taking goodcare of them, too, so that they will be as prepared as possible. We lived four months last year without a check coming in. We depended on God for everything from food to utilities to gas for the car. He did it. Wecannot even tell you how it all worked out. If you search for my thrifty weekposts from 2016, you'll see many of the ways He provided and we made it.Nonetheless, I shall pray for you. I'm so glad you've done well with the grocery deals. That's one of the best ways to save money. God bless you!

Count your blessings, name them one by one.... you have had many many this week!! I am so happy to hear your good news concerning the cancer... you have been amazing through all this! You were brave to share your journey with us and I'm sure you have helped many. Praying for continued healing and blessings your way! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!

This is my 3rd piece of good cancer news today! Yippee!My friend with colon cancer is recovering well from a reverse ileostomy (sp?) now that the cancer has been successfully removed. My friend's husband had bladder cancer surgery this morning and the doctor said they got everything and it looks very good. And now you! We've been praying every night for all 3 of you, your families, & doctors. Hallelujah!

Hi Laura and Happy Thanksgiving! You really do have so much to be thankful for and I could not be happier for you. God is so faithful and good! I am yet again sitting here with my eyes welling up with big happy tears of joy for you and your family.

Dear Laura my heart is overjoyed to hear the wonderful news that you got from the oncologist! Our God is truly an awesome God and we can put our trust in him! I'll be continuing to pray that you will heal up from the surgery and have no lasting effects from the surgery and that you'll be able to use your left arm again! We are having a low-key Thanksgiving here too with just the 4 of us and my daughter will be helping me as well. Your family will do a great job with your Thanksgiving dinner, just allow them to do what they can and bless you at this time! Your family continues to be in our prayers and I'm just so thankful for the provision and hand of the Lord throughout all of this that you have been through!

Thank you for praying for me! Thank you for encouraging me so much through this cancer treatment. I have the best blog friends in the world! Yes! You!

I read all your comments and respond as I can right now. Please make sure I have your email if you want me to respond or pray for you. For some reason Blogger isn't notifying me of comments right now, so I may be a bit slower.

God bless you all! This life only works with Jesus. The next life is a continuation of this one—make sure you spend it with Jesus. Jesus is the only way to God the Father!

I'm a breast cancer surviving,
homeschooling, Jesus loving, mom to four children and wife to my high school sweetheart for 32 years...doing what I can with what I've got where I am
on a short shoestring budget!
ஐღLauraღஐ

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